Australia is confronting a worsening ambulances crisis. Potent new drugs known as nitazenes are flooding the illicit drug market, taking lives and scaring health experts and communities. These chemicals are deadly and a great threat. Other forms are said to be 500 times more potent than heroin and 10 times more potent than fentanyl. After nitazene first came to the U.S. in 2021, at least 30 nitazene-related overdoses have been recorded by authorities across the country. What’s more, they’re now calling for stronger efforts to address this growing public health crisis.
Recent weeks have elicited a flood of angst about nitazenes. This fear intensified especially after gummy bear-shaped pills inscribed with a ‘Y’ were found in Queensland. The substances N-pyrrolidino protonitazene and protonitazene were found in the pills. These drugs have a relatively strong dose-response curve, and their effects take hold within minutes. Together, these combine to create dire hazards for consumers and emergency personnel alike.
The Dangers of Nitazenes
Nitazenes can produce rapid onset of respiratory depression. This immediate impact results in hypoxia, an effect that causes the body to be deprived of oxygen. This swift impact can be deadly. Just a minuscule amount—less than a drop or one-fifth of a grain of salt—can result in death. This duplicitous dimension is why they’re one of the most lethal substances today flooding the illicit drug supply.
Fears over nitazenes grew recently when four people died of overdose in Broadmeadows. This shocking occurrence is the biggest single group of deaths in Australia attributed to these sluggish sedatives. These recent incidents attest to the immediacy of nitazenes as a threat. They highlight the significant obstacles that law enforcement and health professionals encounter as they work to respond effectively to this crisis.
First responders are particularly vulnerable. They must exercise extreme caution when attending scenes involving nitazene overdoses to avoid inhaling the substance inadvertently. This additional risk not only puts evacuees in harm’s way, but hinders emergency response efforts during a time when immediate medical care is essential.
“Consuming any illicit drug or substance could be fatal. You don’t know what you’re taking.” – Victorian Coroner
Calls for Action and Preventative Measures
The increasing death count associated with nitazenes is concerning. Public health officials and advocates—including our own members at the Trust for America’s Health—are urging strong, comprehensive action to minimize these threats. A Victorian coroner has called for a state government funded drug-checking service, as a way to prevent more people from dying. This is the second time we’ve highlighted this particular recommendation. Yet, it is still intimately connected to eight overdose deaths documented over the past three years.
Now Queensland is leading the way with an innovative new testing initiative. It detects wastewater for nitazenes, which would provide early warning signals of the presence of these drugs in local communities. In September, a pill-testing site in Canberra recorded the first known detection of isotocyanozene in Australia, a substance previously unreported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Many of these strategies are being discussed and proposed in an effort to reduce nitazene-related overdoses. Naloxone is a life-saving medication that has the ability to reverse opioid overdoses. This amazing innovation is currently being employed in the streets as we spread the word about keeping it safe and not consuming illicit drugs. Nitazene testing strips would provide substance users with key intelligence about what they are consuming.
“If we can prevent one more loss of life by sharing our pain and devastation it will be worth it, and it will become part of his legacy.” – Fatima El Tarek
Legal Challenges and Community Responses
Despite the obvious threats that nitazenes present, very few people have been held legally accountable for trafficking this class of drugs. And police have tacitly acknowledged their failure by announcing that they don’t have enough evidence. As such, no one will face charges in relation to the nitazene-laced drugs responsible for the Broadmeadows mass overdoses in June 2024. This apparent lack of accountability begs the question, how seriously and effectively are authorities addressing this emerging menace?
Community members impacted by this urgent crisis are forcefully articulating their frustrations and their demands for change. Fatima El Tarek, whose loved one died from a nitazene overdose, reminded listeners that we needed to make sure tragedies like this don’t occur in vain. There is a growing sentiment among advocates for drug reform that sharing their experiences may help prevent further loss of life.
Political discourse around nitazenes has turned nasty. Some government officials have openly criticized harm-reduction strategies such as pill-testing, arguing that they enable criminal activity and do not address the root causes of drug abuse.
“They are illegal for a reason – they kill you.” – Jarrod Bleijie
“The only people that benefit from illegal drugs and pill-testing is bikie criminal gangs.” – Jarrod Bleijie
“Only the commies in Victoria support pill-testing.” – Jarrod Bleijie
Communities are waking up to the dangers posed by nitazenes. To address this escalating public health crisis we must take a holistic approach with education, harm reduction strategies, and legal accountability.